


Into the Light

by kontatsu



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Coming of Age, Drama & Romance, Homophobia, M/M, Slow Burn, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 13:02:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14874242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kontatsu/pseuds/kontatsu
Summary: In which innocently ignorant Shoma voices an opinion, and shit goes down.





	Into the Light

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! So this is not a complete work, it's just a little bit of an idea I had. I'm also new to this whole writing thing so bear with me. Based on feedback I may or may not work on/post a whole story? So feel free to comment, roast me, whatever. :) Since this is just a snippet, here's some context: Shoma's moved from Nagoya to Sendai to attend high school for his senior year. His best friend is Keiji, but he's been getting closer to Yuzuru who's basically the most popular guy in school (of course lol). Kana and Satton are "friends" but mainly just classmates at this point. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: The situations/statements in this story don't reflect the real lives of these characters.

“Yuzuru’s too perfect,” Kanako sighs, “I wish he would just date me already!”

“Shut up, he’s mine!” Satoko scowls. “But seriously. How is he still single? He must have some really high standards.”

Shoma nods along, half-listening, half-considering this legitimate question. Suddenly a thought hits him, and it’s as if Yuzuru is reborn in his eyes. The way Yuzuru’s gaze always seems to linger, not on his legion of female fans but on guys instead, his oddly dainty giggles, always slightly effeminate…

He doesn’t want to stereotype, but now he’s realizing that Yuzuru does have an awfully slender body, almost bird-like in comparison to the slightly-less-popular hulky baseball jocks and hell, almost every other teenage male in school. He’s a "pretty boy" in every respect, and…why doesn’t he have a girlfriend yet? Every other “alpha-male” in high school has capitalized on his popularity to win the heart of the cheerleader, or the overachiever girl, _someone_ , at least according to all of the anime Shoma has watched. And he’s watched many.

But Yuzuru…seems disinterested. He always cites his studies, but Shoma’s come to learn that Yuzu’s smart, he doesn’t drown and isn’t even drowning himself in work. More than brushing it off as being busy, his answers were always tentative, lips pressed together and pupils a bit dilated as if there was something inside him waiting to burst. Maybe his standards weren’t high, they were…completely different?

“Maybe he likes boys,” Shoma blurts out.

Keiji whips his head around so quick and frowns so hard that Shoma is startled. But this is nothing close to the reactions he receives from Kana and Satton.

“WHAT?!” Kana thunders. “Who are you to even suggest that our perfect Yuzu is a – I can’t even say the word, why would you _even_ …!”

“You liberals from Nagoya, being all accepting about that disgusting type of stuff. Don’t even _think_ of pushing such influences onto Yuzu!” Satoko wails, and Shoma’s so surprised, he can’t believe he even considered the both of them relatively good friends just a couple of seconds ago, not when they could suddenly turn the tables on him like that.

“I didn’t mean – I was just, that was just an opinion! Maybe not even that, just a thought!” Shoma half whispers furiously. Panicked, he glances over at Yuzu in his corner, reading his book with noise cancelling earbuds in.

“Well that’s the _wrong_ opinion, and a horrid one at that,” Kanako is truly riled up, cheeks blooming red with indignant fury. And then she makes things worse.

“Yuzu!” she calls as Shoma whisper-shouts again, “Shut up!”

Yuzuru turns to face them, taking one bud out of his ear. He has very delicate hands. “Hi Kana,” he smiles. “Good afternoon,” he nods to all of them, but his eyes are locked on Shoma’s, “What’s going on?”

“Shoma thought you might be gay.” Kana says angrily.

“We told him you aren’t,” Satoko reassures him in such a sycophantic way it makes Shoma want to gag.

Yuzuru’s face drains of all color, expression turning stone cold. It’s like Shoma’s never met the goofy, charismatic boy who sits to his left, and for a moment he doubts he ever saw… _gay?_ in such a blank, warrior-like stare.

Shoma stutters. “I – I’m sorry. It was just a speculation, not that I’ve been speculating for a long time or anything, it was just now. And it was stupid, honestly, I didn’t even mean it.”

Yuzuru’s eyebrows knit together a little before becoming impassive again. And this is scary, because a Yuzuru without emotion is not the Yuzuru he’s come to know. Then he does something Shoma will never forget.

He spits in Shoma’s direction.

“Maybe _you’re_ the gay one.”

It’s a biting remark that makes Shoma’s blood run cold with something like fear, but mostly betrayal. Then Yuzuru turns back to the book, putting the earbud back into place.

“We have a nurse for that kind of stuff, I think you might need it.”

Shoma is shocked into silence. But he regains his senses. And for one of the first times in his life, he will not back down.

“What if I was. So, what? What’s wrong with gay people?” his voice escalates. People are beginning to stare, but he won't stop now.

“There’s nothing wrong with them. We’re all human. We deserve to love who ever we want to. Because if we aren’t hurting anyone else, then that’s all that matters, right?” He’s talking to Yuzuru’s hunched back now. And maybe, just maybe, Shoma realizes, he’s not saying this to fight back, he’s letting the boy in front of him know that there is at least one person in this room who will not judge him. The boy who holds the weight of popularity on his shoulders, but who Shoma thinks might be scared and broken inside. And Yuzuru’s turned around to face him, his features still set in anger but eyes glowing with…could it be hope?

**_Splat!_ **

Shoma stares down at the dripping, raw egg on the front of his dress pants. The group of jocks in the back starts laughing.

“Fag!”

“Look, the gay boy’s been jerking off!”

One of them crosses the room to where Yuzuru is sitting, and…Yuzuru. He’s laughing along with them. Shoma feels a stinging in his eyes and a bitter taste in his mouth. The jock who threw the egg leans in for a fist bump, to which Yuzuru replies with one of his own. He’s looking anywhere besides Shoma now.

Shoma turns away, tears threatening to fall. Who was he to think that he, a soft-spoken loner, was good friends with Yuzuru Hanyu, anyway?

He feels a hand on his shoulder. It’s Keiji, staring down at him with a sad look in his eyes.

“Come on, let’s go.”


End file.
